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Dia de Salud Increases Health Equity in Latino Community in Oregon



Sarah Cantril started the Huerto de la Familia program to focus on boosting health equity by helping Latino families live healthier lives in Eugene, Ore. In trying a new approach to bring health information to Latino families, Julia Ridgeway-Diaz and other officials with Huerto de la Familia decided to start an annual health fair, called Dia de Salud (Health Day). This free, culturally tailored annual health fair brings Latino families together to receive free eye exams, blood tests, and other health services that would normally be unavailable to their community. What role do Latinos play in their health?  Huerto de la Familia has been assisting Latino immigrant and migrant families in Eugene, Ore. (7.8% Latino), since 1999, when Sarah Cantril formed the organization from a ...

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Tanya Enriquez: Latina Cancer Survivor



When you’re 27 years old the last thing that crosses your mind are mammograms, breast self-examination and breast cancer. “My doctor had said I was too young to have a mammogram, so when I finally heard the breast cancer diagnosis after tests on my “cyst,” my whole body went numb. I didn’t have time for cancer; I was getting married. On December 5, 1997,” Tanya Enriquez says. Her honeymoon turned into a visit to the hospital to have 20 lymph nodes removed, and an aggressive chemotherapy treatment. Soon after her diagnosis Tanya met Marta Zuniga, a stage III breast cancer patient and later met Susan Coll, the three were known as the Three Muskateers. “We had a bond that not many shared. We were all under 30 and had breast cancer. We would talk, laugh, and go out to lunch, ...

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National Secondary School Survey Results Show Need for More Improvement



The new results are out for the 2013-2014 years within the National Secondary School Survey Results. This survey shows the School Policies and Practices to Improve Health and Prevent Obesity findings since the 2007 studies began. Surveys from school administrators, mostly principals, were taken to measure the success and areas in need for progress in regards to diet and physical activity in schools. The major findings revealed that schools have been making noticeable efforts in offering students healthier foods and beverages for lunch, however, many students still have easy access to sugary beverages and junk foods. Very little progress was reported for increasing physical activity among students during or after school times. In fact, physical education requirements for high school ...

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Urban Farms Grow Healthy Connections for Youth and Farmers



Chicago, Illinois ( 28.9% Latino) is growing towards healthy connections for students by helping them connect to farmers and healthy foods through their classrooms. More and more schools in the area are allowing students to visit local farms, write to farmers, and learn what it takes to grow and harvest healthy foods as farm to school grows in Illinois. Programs like Adopt a Farmer, or free curriculums like Seven Generations Ahead are helping students understand the importance of where their food comes from, and what it takes to grow healthy foods. Field trips taken to farms like Angelic Organics Learning Farm, or Windy City Harvest Youth Farm are helping students become the next generation of food leaders. Farm to School in Illinois is taking off with urban farms and community ...

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Bea Vasquez: Latina Cancer Survivor



For Bea Vasquez,  cancer was not something new. Breast cancer took her grandmother away when she was a teenager. Because of her family history and her work with the American Cancer Society, Bea schedule mammograms every September. “In 1998, I was so busy at work that I didn’t get a mammogram until the following March. After a second mammogram and a sonogram, I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” she says. The tumor was very small, so no chemotherapy was required, but to be safe she decided to have radiation. “I know it may sound as if I was really informed, and I was. I was cancer-free, but what I wasn’t free of was fear. Fear of dying and leaving my daughter and mother behind. I gave this and all other worries to the Lord.” Today, Bea enjoys traveling and grows her own ...

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10 Million Expected to Have Marketplace Coverage by 2016



U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell announced that she expects 10 million individuals will be enrolled in coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace by the end of 2016. The HHS believes that currently more than 1 out of 4 uninsured individuals will select coverage during open enrollment. “We believe 10 million is a strong and realistic goal,” Burwell said. “We’ve seen high levels of satisfaction with the Marketplace and expect the vast majority of our current customers will reenroll. And our target assumes that more than one out of every four of the eligible uninsured will select plans.” According to HHS’s information, nearly half of the uninsured that are anticipated to obtain coverage this coming year are between the ages of 18 and 34 ...

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#SaludTues Tweetchat 10/20/15: Quitting Smoking with the Help of Technology


fda cigarette graphic warning labels smoking

Technology is a promising way to help Latino smokers quit, given the dire health and cancer consequences of smoking and Latinos' adoption of new technologies and media. What technologies are working? Let’s use #SaludTues on Oct. 20, 2015, to tweet information, resources, and tips that can uncover the ways technology can help Latinos kick the habit now (and for good!): WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Quitting Smoking with the Help of Technology” TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET (Noon-1 p.m. CT), Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015 WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues HOST: @SaludToday CO-HOST: The CDC (@CDCTobaccoFree) SPECIAL GUEST: The American Lung Association (@LungAssociation) We’ll open the floor to your stories and experiences as we explore: How much do Latinos ...

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Study: Latinas More Likely To Receive Poor Breast Cancer Treatment



Latinas are more likely to receive poor treatment regardless of tumor type, Latina Magazine reports. The study, published in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, “looked at data from 100,000 American women, including their demographics, stage of disease, tumor grade and size, treatment and health insurance status.” According to the study, 20 to 40 percent of Latinas were more likely to receive “substandard care.“ Latinas have a 30 to 40 percent higher chance to be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer and “were more likely to have large tumors.” Researchers aren’t sure why there’s a gap in quality of treatment Latinas receive, but believe socioeconomic factors play a role as well as language ...

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Nielsen Report: Latinos are Getting Healthier & Wealthier



According to the latest Nielsen's Hispanic Consumer Report, Latinos are living longer and have more disposable income than in the past. The report shows: Hispanics have lower mortality rates in seven out of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S. In the first few years after immigrating to the U.S., Hispanics also tend to have lower smoking rates, better diet and better general health. This is translating to Hispanics living longer and having healthier, more active lives. Today Hispanic-Americans life expectancy is 83.5 years compared to 78.7 for non-Hispanic Whites. This means more buying and viewing power, for longer. The report also found 40 percent of Latinos over the age of 50 live in multi-generational households compared to just over a fifth of the general U.S. ...

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